Persephone

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This article is about the Greek goddess. For other uses, see Persephone (disambiguation).

Persephone
Queen of the underworld Goddess of vegetation

Persephone opening a cista containing the infant Adonis, on a pinax from Locri Abode Consort Parents Roman equivalent the Underworld Hades Zeus and Demeter Proserpina

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In Greek mythology, Persephone (/prsfni/, per-SEH-f-nee; Greek: !" #$%&', also called Kore (/kri/; (the maiden(',)n *+ is the da,ghter of-e,s and the har.est/goddess 0emeter, and 1,een of the ,nder2orld3 4omer descri5es her as the formida5le, .enera5le ma6estic 1,een of the ,nder2orld, 2ho carries into effect the c,rses of men ,pon the so,ls of the dead3 Persephone 2as a5d,cted 5y 4ades, the god/king of the ,nder2orld3)*+ 7he myth of her a5d,ction represents her

f,nction as the personification of .egetation 2hich shoots forth in spring and 2ithdra2s into the earth after har.est; hence she is also associated 2ith spring as 2ell as the fertility of .egetation3 8imilar myths appear in the 9rient, in the c,lts of male gods like :ttis, :donis and 9siris,);+ and in <inoan =rete3 Persephone as a .egetation goddess and her mother 0emeter 2ere the central fig,res of the >le,sinian mysteries that predated the 9lympian pantheon, and promised to the initiated a more en6oya5le prospect after death3 Persephone is f,rther said to ha.e 5ecome 5y -e,s the mother of0ionys,s, Iacch,s, or -agre,s ,s,ally in orphic tradition3 7he origins of her c,lt are ,ncertain, 5,t it 2as 5ased on .ery old agrarian c,lts of agric,lt,ral comm,nities3 Persephone 2as commonly 2orshipped along 2ith 0emeter, and 2ith the same mysteries3 7o her alone 2ere dedicated the mysteries cele5rated at :thens in the month of :nthesterion3 In =lassical Greek art, Persephone is in.aria5ly portrayed ro5ed; often carrying a sheaf of grain3 8he may appear as a mystical di.inity 2ith a sceptre and a little 5o?, 5,t she 2as mostly represented in the act of 5eing carried off 5y 4ades3 In @oman mythology, she is called Proserpina, and her mother =eres3

Contents
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* Persephone 7he Potent *3* >tymology *3; 7he @oman Proserpina *3A Bestis ; 7itles and f,nctions ;3* >pithets A 9rigins of the c,lt A3* 9rient/<inoan =rete A3; <ycenean Greece C Greek mythology C3* :5d,ction myth C3; Pl,to/Interpretation of the myth C3A 7he :rcadian myths D E,een of the Fnder2orld G =,lt of Persephone G3* 7hesmophoria G3; >le,sinian mysteries G3A Hocal c,lts I :ncient literary references

J <odern reception K 8ee also *L Botes and references ** @eferences *; >?ternal links

Persephone The Potent[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Persephone or (the deceased 2oman( holding a pomegranate3 >tr,scan terracotta cinerary stat,e3 Bational archaeological m,se,m in Palermo, Italy
In a Hinear M (<ycenean Greek' inscription on a ta5let fo,nd at Pylos dated *CLLN*;LL M=, Oohn =had2ick reconstr,cts)n ;+ the name of a goddess*Pres a 2ho co,ld 5e identified 2ith Persa, da,ghter of 9cean,s and finds spec,lati.e the f,rther identification 2ith the first element of Persephone3)C+Persephon! (Greek: !" #$%&' is her name in the Ionic Greek of epic literat,re3 7he 4omeric form of her name is Persephoneia ( !" #P% QR,)D+Persephoneia'3 In other dialects she 2as kno2n ,nder .ariant names: Persephassa ( !" #S""R', Persephatta ( !" #STTR', or simply "or! (U$!&, (girl, maiden('3)G+ Plato calls her Pherepapha (V !WXR#R' in his #rat$lus, (5eca,se she is 2ise and to,ches that 2hich is in motion(3 7here are also the forms Periphona (&!Y#$%R' and Phersephassa (V !"W#R""R'3 7he e?istence of so many different forms sho2s ho2 diffic,lt it 2as for the Greeks to prono,nce the 2ord in their o2n lang,age and s,ggests that the name has pro5a5ly a pre/Greek origin3 )I+ :n alternati.e etymology is from #W! Y% #$%P%, pherein phonon, (to 5ring (or ca,se' death(3)J+ :nother mythical personage of the name of Persephione is called a da,ghter of <inyas and the mother of =hloris, a nymph of spring, flo2er and ne2 gro2th3 )J+ 7he <inyans 2ere a gro,p considered a,tochthono,s, 5,t some scholars assert that they 2ere the first 2a.e of Proto/ Greek speakers in the ;nd millenni,m M=3)K+

The Roman Proserpina[edit]

=inerary altar 2ith ta5,la representing the rape of Proserpina3 White mar5le, :ntonine >ra, ;nd cent,ry =>3 @ome, Maths of 0iocletian

8tat,e of Isis/Persephone 2ith asistr,m3 4eraklion :rchaeological <,se,m,=rete

7he @omans first heard of her from the :eolian and 0orian cities of <agna Graecia, 2ho ,sed the dialectal .ariant Proserpin! (!P" !XQ%&'3 4ence, in @oman mythology she 2as called Proserpina, a name erroneo,sly deri.ed 5y the @omans from proserpere, (to shoot forth()*L+ and as s,ch 5ecame an em5lematic fig,re of the @enaissance3)citation needed+ :t Hocri, perhaps ,ni1,ely, Persephone 2as the protector of marriage, a role ,s,ally ass,med 5y 4era; in the iconography of .oti.e pla1,es at Hocri, her a5d,ction and marriage to 4ades ser.ed as an em5lem of the marital state, children at Hocri 2ere dedicated to Proserpina, and maidens a5o,t to 5e 2ed 5ro,ght theirpeplos to 5e 5lessed3)**+

Nestis[edit]
In a =lassical period te?t ascri5ed to >mpedocles, c3 CKL N CAL M=,)n A+ descri5ing a correspondence among fo,r deities and the classical elements, the name %estis for 2ater apparently refers to Persephone: (Bo2 hear the fo,rfold roots of e.erything: enli.ening 4era, 4ades, shining -e,s3 :nd Bestis, moistening mortal springs 2ith tears3()*;+ 9f the fo,r deities of >mpedoclesZ elements, it is the name of Persephone alone that is ta5oo[ Bestis is a e,phemistic c,lt title)n C+[for she 2as also the terri5le E,een of the 0ead, 2hose name 2as not safe to speak alo,d, 2ho 2as e,phemistically named simply as \ore or (the <aiden(, a .estige of her archaic role as the deity r,ling the ,nder2orld3

Titles and functions[edit]

7he epithets of Persephone re.eal her do,5le f,nction as chthonic and .egetation goddess3 7he s,rnames gi.en to her 5y the poets refer to her character as E,een of the lo2er 2orld and the dead, or her sym5olic meaning of the po2er that shoots forth and 2ithdra2s into the earth3 4er common name as a .egetation goddess is \ore and in :rcadia she 2as 2orshipped ,nder the title 0espoina (the mistress(, a .ery old chthonic di.inity3 Pl,tarchidentifies her 2ith spring and =icero calls her the seed of the fr,its of the fields3 In the >le,sinian mysteries her ret,rn is the sym5ol of immortality and hence she 2as fre1,ently represented on sarcophagi3 )J+ In the mystical theories of the 9rphics and the Platonists, \ore is descri5ed as the all/per.ading goddess of nat,re)*A+ 2ho 5oth prod,ces and destroys e.erything and she is therefore mentioned along or identified 2ith other mystic di.inities s,ch as Isis, @hea, Ge, 4estia, Pandora, :rtemis, and4ecate3)*C+ 7he 9rphic Persephone is f,rther said to ha.e 5ecome 5y -e,s the mother of 0ionysos, Iacch,s, -agre,s,)J+ and the little/attested<elinoe3)*D+

Epithets[edit]
:s a goddess of the ,nder2orld, Persephone 2as gi.en e,phemistically friendly names3)*G+ 4o2e.er it is possi5le that some of them 2ere the names of original goddesses: